2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe

September 9, 2013 8:00 AM

The 2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe would do well to morph itself back into a four-door. To my eye, the Elantra sedan is a more svelte and stylish-looking car.
(All photos by Michael Taylor)

The 2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe would do well to morph itself back into a four-door. To my eye, the Elantra sedan is a more svelte and stylish-looking car.
(All photos by Michael Taylor)

The 2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe would do well to morph itself back... Photo-5158348.69830 - NewsTimes

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By chopping out two of the sedan's four doors, and making this coupe, Hyundai lost the graceful looks of the four-door. For a car that sacrifices convenience of ingress/egress for the sake of trying to be better looking, the two-door coupe manages to look more conservative than the four-door version. less

By chopping out two of the sedan's four doors, and making this coupe, Hyundai lost the graceful looks of the four-door. For a car that sacrifices convenience of ingress/egress for the sake of trying to be ... more

By chopping out two of the sedan's four doors, and making this... Photo-5158349.69830 - NewsTimes

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On the road, the Elantra Coupe was pretty quiet and its suspension soaked up most of the California roads’ peculiarities. The transmission shifted smoothly and the engine, while somewhat anemic, at least gave pretty good mileage figures (27/37 mpg, city/highway). less

On the road, the Elantra Coupe was pretty quiet and its suspension soaked up most of the California roads’ peculiarities. The transmission shifted smoothly and the engine, while somewhat anemic, at least gave ... more

On the road, the Elantra Coupe was pretty quiet and its suspension... Photo-5158350.69830 - NewsTimes

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The trunk is fine for a coupe -- enough room for a couple of suitcases and other bags.

The trunk is fine for a coupe -- enough room for a couple of suitcases and other bags.

The trunk is fine for a coupe -- enough room for a couple of... Photo-5158351.69830 - NewsTimes

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Once inside the car, you’ll find that it measures up to Hyundai’s overall sensible ideas of automotive interior.

Once inside the car, you’ll find that it measures up to Hyundai’s overall sensible ideas of automotive interior.

Once inside the car, you’ll find that it measures up to... Photo-5158352.69830 - NewsTimes

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You have to flop the seatback forward, move the front seat forward and then contort yourself past the all-strangling seatbelt and into the rear seating area, where you plop down, hoping you never have to reverse the process. less

You have to flop the seatback forward, move the front seat forward and then contort yourself past the all-strangling seatbelt and into the rear seating area, where you plop down, hoping you never have to ... more

You have to flop the seatback forward, move the front seat forward... Photo-5158353.69830 - NewsTimes

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It has a straightforward instrument panel, a center stack with the usual useful stuff – in this case, our Elantra Coupe SE had the optional $2,350 technology package that includes navigation, rear view camera and 360-watt stereo system. Oddly, there’s a silvery slash of plastic to the left side of the navigation screen that does its best to reflect itself in the windshield, adding an annoying glare when the sun is at the right place, which was most of the time we were in the car less

It has a straightforward instrument panel, a center stack with the usual useful stuff – in this case, our Elantra Coupe SE had the optional $2,350 technology package that includes navigation, rear view camera ... more

It has a straightforward instrument panel, a center stack with the... Photo-5158354.69830 - NewsTimes